Statewide County AZ Archives History - Businesses .....Topography, Climate And Resources 1881
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ARIZONA:
Its Topography, Climate, and Resources.

  Arizona is bounded on the north by Utah and a small portion of Nevada, on the
east by New Mexico, on the south by the Mexican Republic, and on the west by the
State's of California and Nevada. It extends from one hundred and nine degrees
to one hundred and fourteen degrees and twenty-five minutes west longitude, and
from thirty-one degrees and thirty-seven minutes to thirty-seven degrees north
latitude, being about three hundred and twenty-five miles square. The estimated
area is 111,950 square miles, or about 72,000,000 acres.

  Since the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, the Territory of Arizona has
been claimed first by Spain, and then by Mexico, till recent events gave it to
the Great Republic. As early as 1540 an expedition was sent by the Viceroy of
Spain to examine and take possession of the country. That expedition found the
Territory inhabited by Indian races of great difference in character. A portion
of them lived in towns, built houses of stone or dried brick, cultivated the
soil, and constructed irrigating canals, which required considerable engineering
skill. Ruins were found by the first explorers, which indicated that at some
previous time a still higher state of civilization had. existed. The large
quantity of broken earthenware found at wide distances strewn over the country,
the mounds of the Salt River Valley which appear to be remains of buildings
similar to Casa Grande, the extensive ruins on the San Pedro, Rio Verde,
Colorado Chiquito, and other places, are generally believed to be the remains of
a people who existed here before any of the present Indian races. However that
may be, it is certain that the Spanish found here the Papagoes, the Moquis,
Zunis, and other pueblo Indians, who tilled the soil, and followed other
pursuits in which only people of considerable civilization occupy themselves.
They also found savage tribes like the Apaches and Navahoes, who were constantly
making raids upon the peaceful natives, and who for a period of over three
hundred years kept up an incessant warfare with the whites who settled in the
Territory. In 1848, by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, all the Territory north
of the Gila River then forming a part of New Mexico was ceded to the United
States. The Territory between the Gila and the present Mexican boundary was
acquired in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase. It might be questioned whether we
should not have purchased the Territory from the Apache chief, Cachise, as he
had perhaps the best title. These Indians had at this time succeeded in driving
the Mexicans out of the country, only one place remaining in their possession—
Tucson, a hamlet or mission of two or three hundred inhabitants. The United
States Boundary Commission commenced its work in 1850, and its valuable reports
furnish our first reliable information of the country north of the Gila. This
was followed by a Pacific Railroad survey on parallel thirty-two. Several other
explorations and surveys were executed within a few years. To protect these
surveys, the government had stationed in various places a considerable number of
troops, who had, to some extent, checked the Apaches. In 1857 a line of stages
was started between San Antonio and San Diego. In 1858 the service on this line
was made semi-weekly, and it received six hundred thousand dollars per year from
the government for carrying the mail. The time from San Francisco to St. Louis
was twenty-two days.

  The Great Rebellion broke out in 1861, and up to this time slow but sure
progress had been making in the Territory. Several new mining camps had been
established, and some American machinery introduced. The rebellion checked and
destroyed all this improvement. The Federal troops who were not taken prisoners
by Texan rebels abandoned the country. The stage line was discontinued. The
citizens and traders, managers and workmen of the various mines all hurried to
leave the Territory. The Apaches fell upon them along the highways and murdered
many. The gambrinos from Sonora rushed in and plundered the mines, and broke the
machinery. In 1863 Cachise, the Apache chief, boasted that he had conquered the
Americans. On the 24th of February, 1863, Congress passed the act forming the
Territory of Arizona. The Territory then segregated from New Mexico was about
126,000 square miles  During the year 1866 an area embracing 12,225 square miles
of the northwestern portion, was by an act of Congress, given to the State of
Nevada. In 1864 the Territorial Government was located at Prescott, and
constituted as follows: Governor. John N. Goodwin; Secretary, R. C. McCormick;
Chief Justice, W. F. Turner; Associate Justices, William T. Howell and Joseph A.
Allyn; District Attorney, Almon Gage; Surveyor-General, Levi Bashford; Marshal,
Milton P. Duffield; Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Charles D. Poston. The
population at this time, exclusive of Indians, was only 600, but soon commenced
to steadily increase, notwithstanding the unsettled condition of affairs arising
out of struggles with Mexican gambrinos or mine robbers, and with the savages
whom two years of success had rendered bold and defiant. Soon after the
organization of the Territory, Gen. O. O. Howard was appointed special Indian
Commissioner, and General Crook was given command of the troops sent against the
savages. He defeated the Apaches and Hualapais in several actions, and brought
Cachise to terms. All the savage tribes were then placed on reservations where
they are now kept under control, and no further trouble from them is
anticipated. In 1872 the white population had increased to 10,743. From 1857 to
1861 many gold and silver mines had been discovered in the central portion of
the Territory, the fame of which, now that affairs had become settled, began to
attract prospectors from different sections, and the discovery of the Silver
King, Stonewall Jackson, and other wonderfully rich mines in 1875, gave a still
greater impetus to mining operations. The discovery of the Tombstone mines
followed in 1877. In 1880 the Southern Pacific Railroad reached Tucson from the
west, and in March, 1881, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad from the
east formed a junction with the Southern Pacific at Deming, New Mexico, thus
affording easy access from the Atlantic and Pacific States to this far-off and
hitherto isolated section. The completion of these roads has resulted in a great
increase of immigration, bringing capital and labor to assist in the development
of the vast mineral resources of the Territory. The opportunities which mining
countries offer for the immediate use of capital, and the rapid accumulation of
wealth, are much greater than those of agricultural districts, and the brilliant
opportunities here offered to those seeking investments in mining properties
will no doubt be eagerly embraced, and thus quicken the slower process of
creating capital. We may, therefore, now confidently hope for a rapid
advancement like California and Colorado. All classes of immigrants will be
attracted to this section, for here is an immense empty Territory offering homes
and competence to a million inhabitants. Arizona has a good code of laws, which
provides for an economical and efficient administration of the government, and a
liberal system of common schools. The United States census, taken in June, 1880,
gives a white population of 40,441. The increase since then has been
considerable, probably not less than 10,000, so that we may now, in June, 1881,
safely estimate the population at 50,000, exclusive of Indians.

MOUNTAINS AND TIMBER LANDS.

  The Rocky Mountains on the east, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the west,
seem to unite as they pass through Arizona and form the Cordilleras of Mexico.
Extending from the northern boundary, and traversing the Territory in a
southeasterly direction to its southern boundary, is a belt composed of a
succession of short ranges of mountains known by distinctive names, from some of
which rise peaks having an altitude of over 10,000 feet above the level of the
sea. This belt of mountain and table lands is about 150 miles in width, and
embraceg within its limits what may be called the mineral region of Arizona.
Among the most noted of these ranges are the Santa Rita, Patagonia, Peloncillo,
Huachuca, Chiricahua, Mule Pass, Dragoon, Whetstone, and Santa Catalina, in the
southeast; the White Mountains in the east; the Pinal, Apache, Mazatzal,
Mogollon, and San Francisco ranges in the middle and northern portions of the
Territory; and the Hualapais, Peacock, and Cerbat ranges in the northwest. While
many of the mountain ranges in Arizona are but sparsely covered with timber,
there are others where may be found a heavy growth of pine, cedar, etc. In the
northeastern portion of Yavapai County, just south of the Colorado River, is
situated what is known as the Colorado Forest, comprising a large area which is
covered with an excellent quality of white and yellow pine suitable for lumber.
Oak and mountain mahogany are also found in this section, the latter frequently
growing to the height of thirty feet, and two feet in diameter at the base. This
wood is very hard and fine-grained, and well suited for cabinet purposes. Cedar,
juniper, wild cherry, and ash are also found here as well as in most of the
forests in Yavapai. The Coconino Forest consists of many detached bodies of the
same kind of timber, covering a large area in the northern part of Yavapai
County, south of Marble Canon on the Colorado River. The great Black Forest
covers all the ranges which lie between the various branches of Cataract Creek.
This forest consists of pine and spruce, and most of the hard woods common to
the temperate zone.

  The San Francisco Mountains, in the central portion of Yavapai County, are
covered with forests of pine, of excellent quality. This is considered to be the
most extensive forest region in Arizona, and will supply an immense amount of
good lumber for years to come. In the neighborhood of Prescott, the mountains
are covered with a growth of pine and other timber, and several sawmills in
operation here are turning out a large quantity of good lumber. The White
Mountains, in Gila and Apache Counties, are also covered with forests of
different kinds of timber. Dr. Rothrock thus speaks of this region: "From the
summit of the Sierra Blanca, looking eastward, mountains of less altitude, with
valleys between them, rise, one beyond the other, for at least sixty miles, most
of the area being valuable timber, grazing, and farming lands. There is enough
pine timber on the Sierra Blanca alone to last the whole Territory for several
years. The pinus ponderosa here reaches a height of seventy feet; some firs are
higher; the oak resembling white oak is branchy, closely grained, and solid."
These may be said to be the great timber regions of Arizona, but there are other
ranges throughout the Territory which are covered with a good growth of pine and
oak. In the Pinal Mountains is a large area covered with pine. Two sawmills
located in these mountains are turning out sufficient lumber to supply the
surrounding country. In Southern Arizona are several ranges, particularly the
Huachuca and Chiricahua Mountains, where is found timber of different kinds in
great abundance. The Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains also afford a fair
supply. The foothills of all the ranges referred to are covered, more or less,
with a growth of oak, ash, iron-wood, mesquite, juniper, etc., which makes
excellent fuel.

  John Wasson, Esq., Surveyor-General of Arizona, in his report to the Secretary
of the Interior, says:

  "The mountain land is generally covered with grass, on which stock fatten the
year round. It embraces nearly all the timber of commercial value, and
substantially all mines of the precious and common metals. It contains many
springs and small streams, with small tracts of rich land. Rocky and precipitous
surfaces of comparatively limited extent exist, but, taken as a whole, the
mountain land of Arizona is of incalculable value for minerals, timber, water
and grass. There are no long and very well-defined mountain ranges, although the
various broken parts might be treated as ranges, and for local purposes they
have distinctive names. The fact is, the surface of Arizona is a succession of
buttes and mountains, with extended table-land, and narrow, rich valley land
between. A stranger to the merits of our mountain land, on first sight,
naturally enough regards it as next to worthless. The timber in many places is
hidden in deep canons, and beyond sight about the summits, and, without toilsome
examination, is as superficially unrecognizable as are the mineral treasures
hidden below the surface; and it is a fact that, in most of the mountain land
stretching from Mexico to British Columbia in this longitude, the most
productive silver mines are found in mountains with the least vegetation, and of
the most uninviting appearance. Estimated in dollars, our mountain land is of
greatest worth, and for centuries, perhaps forever, they will be peopled by many
thriving cities, towns, and smaller settlements, reaping above the average
reward for their industry."

  The grandeur of the scenery in many of the mountain ranges of Arizona is
unsurpassed. On the occasion of a visit by a party of pleasure seekers,
including Congressman Springer, of Illinois, to Cave Creek, a romantic spot in
the Chiricahua Mountains, the Galeyville Bulletin says:

  "In this region is a climate affording a perfect sanitarium of perpetual
summer, and a wealth of natural scenery excelling in gorgeous beauty the most
attractive resorts in Europe or America.

  "To the southeast, south and west, there towers nigh unto the clouds a
thousand columns, peaks and domes, interspersed with massive structures
resembling castles, from which steep declivities, studded with pine, in terraced
sections merge from either side into a level valley of irregular width, through
which the sparkling waters of Cave Creek flow until lost in the sands of the
broad acres of San Simon Valley.

  "The valley, on entering the mountain gorge, resembles one vast orchard, with
now and then a towering pine to dispel the illusion, while along the base, at
convenient intervals on either side, are numerous caves that have evidently,
from their smoked condition, been the home of the Indian, and from which it took
so many years of tedious warfare to dislodge them.

  "The scene, the magnificence of all its surroundings, so charmed Mr. Springer
that he concluded to use his influence to have the entire Cave Creek region set
apart as a public park, save and except the valley, where he believes, sooner or
later, will rise a city of no mean proportions. To use the language of our
distinguished visitor, 'I have made the tour of Europe, visited all the
enchanting spots of Switzerland, crossed the Alps, and climbed the Pyrenees,
that I might view the places so appreciated by man, and returned home to find a
spot more lovely, and attractive, and sublime than I had witnessed in all my
travels.'" This description of the scenery in the Chiricahua Mountains will
apply to the Huachuca, Patagonia, Santa Rita, and other ranges in different
portions of the Territory.

RIVERS.

  The Colorado River is the principal stream in the Territory. It enters Arizona
on the north from Utah, runs southwesterly through Yavapai County, thence
northwesterly through Mohave County to Nevada, forming a portion of its southern
boundary, then turning due south, it forms the western boundary of Arizona,
separating it from Nevada and California, and finally empties its waters into
the Gulf of California, a hundred miles south of our line. This river is
remarkable for the immense channel which it has cut through the rocks for more
than six hundred miles of its length. Often the banks rise almost perpendicular,
like a wall, two or three thousand feet. These deep gorges are called canons,
the most noted of which are, Grand, Marble, Iceberg, Gray, and Limestone Canons.
It is navigable for light draught boats, as far as El Dorado Canon, five hundred
and sixty-one miles from the Gulf. The navigation is generally by stern-wheel
steamers, which tow barges loaded with freight. The Little Colorado River
gathers its waters principally in the eastern part of the Territory. It has many
branches in Apache and Yavapai Counties, through which it runs in a northwest
direction, and unites with the Colorado. This stream and its branches are also
remarkable for their long and deep canons. The Gila River, though second in
size, and unnavigable, is the most important river in Arizona. It rises in New
Mexico, runs in almost a direct west course across the Territory, and joins the
Colorado one hundred and seventy-eight miles from its mouth. It receives
affluents from every county except Mohave.

  One hundred miles above its mouth, the Gila averages five hundred feet in
width by three feet in depth, and has considerable velocity. This gives water
enough to irrigate all the lands on on either side, suitable for agriculture.
The banks are low and sloping, so that water may easily be taken from it in
ditches. The principal affluents of the Gila are Salt River, and the San Pedro.
The Rio Verde is an important branch of Salt River, running nearly north and
south, in Yavapai and Maricopa Counties. It affords water power to a district
rich in minerals, and there is considerable grazing and farming lands in its
valley. The Santa Cruz is a small but important stream, which has its source
near the Mexican line, runs north, and sinks into the earth near Tucson. Many
millions of dollars in silver have been taken from the moutains along this stream.

VALLEYS.

  The valley of the Gila is about 400 miles in length, lying east and west, on
parallel 33, and extending entirely across the Territory. At Yuma, the foot of
the valley, its altitude is 138 feet. Where it crosses the western boundary of
the Territory, into New Mexico, it is 3,600 feet. With the various tributary
valleys, it comprises the largest portion of agricultural land in Arizona. Its
position, altitude and gentle slope, gives it great importance as a railroad
highway. The Southern Pacific Railroad passes through a portion of it, and in
the future other roads will undoubtedly seek this route. The Salt River Valley
is a tributary, lying north, from one to twenty miles wide, and sixty miles
long. In this valley, surrounded by a good agricultural country, Phoenix is
situated. The San Pedro, in the southeastern part of the Territory is a long
narrow valley, affording considerable farming land, and on its borders is a
large amount of excellent grazing land. This, and the valley of the Santa Cruz
must, in the future, become railroad highways, connecting us with our sister
Republic. The Santa Cruz Valley, commencing in Mexico, and running north for
more than a hundred miles, was the centre of Mexican population during their
possession of the Territory. The valley is narrow, and affords but a small
quantity of land, which can be used for raising grain. Skirting it are thousands
of acres, suitable for cattle range. The Colorado Valley runs north and south,
along nearly the entire western boundary. The banks of the river are so bluff
and high in many places, as to render irrigation impracticable, without which
the most of the soil must remain unproductive, but in the vicinity of Yuma are
some exceedingly rich lands, which can be profitably cultivated.

  There are several hundred small valleys scattered through the Territory, lying
between mountain ranges, skirting table lands, or carrying some small tributary
to the rivers. Most of these valleys are good agricultural lands, and some will
raise crops without irrigation. Many of the latter class will be found in the
White, Juniper, and San Francisco mountains. In the northwestern portion of the
Territory, and but little known, are Prospect, Hualapai, Sacramento, Cedar, and
Big Sandy valleys, and Juniper Basin. In the central part are Aubrey, Williams,
Round Ferguson, Big Chino, Agua Fria, Peeples, Kirkland, and Skull valleys.

  The valley of the Little Colorado, with its small tributaries, is estimated to
embrace about 300,000 acres that may be adapted to agriculture by irrigation. It
is settled principally by Mormons. The Rio Verde Valley extends from the Salt
River Valley about 150 miles northwesterly. It is generally narrow, from a few
rods to a mile in width, and often presenting nothing but a rocky gorge or canon
just wide enough to carry the river. The bottom land is rich, and as there is
sufficient water to irrigate it, large crops are raised. The San Simon, Sulphur
Spring, Sonoita, Babacamori, Cienega, Arivaca, and Aravaipa, lying in the
southern portion of the Territory, are all valleys of considerable size,
carrying more or less water in brooks and springs, and afford in the aggregate a
large amount of land which can be irrigated and farmed, and embracing many
thousands of acres of excellent cattle range.

CLIMATE.

  The climate of Arizona varies so much in different parts of the Territory that
no general description would do justice to many localities. In the valleys and
low lands the temperature varies from temperate to hot. On the mesas and
mountains from temperate to cold. At some points of high altitude snow falls,
and there are a few days during which the cold is uncomfortable. Travelers who
are familiar with the climate of other portions of the Union and with that of
Southern Europe, which is so generally admired, speak in the most glowing terms
of the climate of Arizona during the winter months. At this time of the year the
weather is dry and warm, and the air so balmy as to be perfectly luxurious.
Arizona would prove a sanitarium to those whose delicate constitutions force
them to fly from the rigorous winters of the north to more genial climates.

  During May, June, and July the weather in the valleys is hot and oppressive,
the direct rays of the sun being too intense to admit of much work in the open
fields. The atmosphere, however, is exceedingly dry, and the heat which in moist
climates would be destructive to health is here borne without any evil effects.
Mining sections are generally of higher altitude, and of course the heat is not
so great. A large portion of the labor is underground, where there is less
difference between winter and summer temperature, and nearly all may be carried
on under cover; so that the heat need never interfere with this industry.

  The climate is too dry, as shown by the limited number and size of the water
courses to admit, under the most intelligent application of labor and
enterprise, of its ever becoming a great agricultural State. Were all of the
streams on a level with the general surface, they would not furnish enough water
for the soil— the rainfall not being sufficient to supply them, and flowing as
they do in many cases in channels so far below the surface, they add no moisture
to the soil, but serve only to overdrain it.

  The following results of observations taken in different years at prominent
points in the Territory, will give a general idea of the temperature and
moisture. At Fort Mohave, on the Colorado River, a decidedly hot place, the
average temperature during the months of July and August, 1873, was 91°, and
during May and June, 1874, it was 87.5°. The two coldest months for the same
years were December and January, during which the average was 54°. For the year
commencing July, 1873, the mean average temperature was 74.42°. The average
rainfall at this place is about five inches; altitude, 600 feet.

  Yuma, on the Colorado at the mouth of the Gila, is 155 feet above sea level.
In 1880 the maximum temperature occurred in August, 111°; and the minimum in
February, 25°. The mean temperature for the year was 70.2°. There was no rain
except in December, when 0.74 fell. The average rainfall at Yuma for several
years was a little over three inches.

  Phoenix, in the Salt River Valley, has an altitude of 1,800 feet. The maximum
temperature here in 1880 was in June, 111°; the minimum was in November, 24°;
the mean average for the year was 69°. The rainfall was in January 1.16,
February 0.38, March 0.26, April 0.15, May 0.00, June 0.49, July 1.18, August
0.72, September 0.67, October 0.20, November 0.00, December 1.61. Total for the
year 6.82.

  Tucson has an altitude of 2,545 feet. The maximum temperature in 1880 was in
June, 110°; the minimum, in January, 14°. The mean temperature of the summer was
79.6°, and of the winter months 55.5°. The total rainfall, five inches.

  Camp Grant is situated on the southwestern slope of the Graham Mountains, in
the eastern part of the Territory, south of the Gila Valley. It is 4,833 feet
above the sea. During several days each year snow and hail falls. The mean
temperature for the warmest month in 1875, June, was 80°; and for the coldest
month, January, 49°. The mean average for the year was 64°. The rainfall, 20.18
inches.

  At Camp Apache, which is located on the southwestern slope of the White
Mountains, in latitude 33° 40", the climate is extreme; the range being from 20°
below freezing point on the coldest nights of winter, to 104° on the hottest
days of summer. The nights are always cool, even during the warmest weather. The
altitude is 5,000 feet. The mean temperature in January, the coldest month, is
about 27°; and in July, the warmest, about 79°. The average for the year, about
56.5°.

  Prescott, the Capital of the Territory, is situated at an altitude of 5,700
feet. The cold during the winter is sometimes severe, but for most of the year
the temperature is genial, and the climate remarkably pleasant and healthy.
According to the report of the Signal Service officer, the range of the
thermometer in July, 1878, was 48° to 103°; in December of the same year, 4° to
67°; in January, 1879, 4° to 68°; and in June, 1879, 39° to 97°. The rainfall
for the year ending June 30th, 1879, was 11.31 inches.

  In the extreme southern portion of the Territory, in the Sulphur Spring
Valley, San Pedro and Santa Cruz Valleys, and the territory lying between them,
the climate is represented as being particularly pleasant and healthy. In
summer, during the hottest weather, the thermometer rarely rises above 95°; and
in the winter, at an altitude of 4,000 feet, freezing point is reached only for
a few hours at a time. All of the semi-tropical fruits and plants will be
cultivated in this region. The average rainfall is about ten inches, which,
though insufficient for raising crops of grain without irrigation, clothes the
valleys and hillsides to their tops with a heavy growth of grass, for a large
part of the year, besides affording to the streams sufficient water, carefully
preserved and applied, to render fruitful many thousands of acres. J. Ross
Browne thus speaks of the climate in this section: "It was a luxury to breathe
the air; nothing more pure or invigorating could exist upon earth. The unclouded
sky and glowing tints of the mountains, the unbounded opulence of sunshine which
seemed to sparkle in atmospheric scintillations, inspired us with a perfect
overflow of health and spirits, and it was no wonder we built many castles in
the air, and reveled in dreamy regions of enchantment, in which the glittering
silver mines of Arizona played a prominent part."

AGRICULTURAL AND PASTORAL RESOURCES.

  Under this head the Surveyor-General of Arizona in his report for the year
1879, says:

  "Everything produced in the temperate zone, and many things native to the
tropics, are successfully grown in Arizona. Wheat, barley, and corn are the
leading grains. Irish and sweet potatoes flourish; garden vegetables in general;
all the fruits of tree and vine; and limited but successful experiments have
been made in growing cotton and sugar-cane.

  "All the domestic animals and fowls are grown and are healthy. The several
businesses of growing cattle, horses, mules, and sheep are assuming large
proportions, and many blooded animals have been brought from abroad at large
cost. Hogs do well. Choice ham and bacon are cured and preferred to the imported
articles. The magnitude and permanency of mining in Arizona must always insure
large home demands for local products, and therefore good prices will prevail;
and in no other section of our common country will the industries be more varied
or better rewarded."

  Mr. Thomas Gardiner, publisher and proprietor of the Arizona Quarterly
Illustrated, says:

  "The vast extent and richness of the agricultural lands within the bounds of
this Territory have hitherto been in a great measure overlooked; but now that by
means of railroad and other facilities they are being better known, they will
soon be more adequately appreciated, and there cannot be a doubt that ere long
they will be rapidly taken up for cultivation and duly utilized. On both sides
of the Gila and Salt rivers, and also of the Santa Cruz and San Pedro, there are
great tracts of unoccupied land that could be irrigated and would yield
amazingly, and two crops a year. The land, too, is so deep, rich, and strong as
to require little labor and less manure, water alone securing almost all that is
necessary to make it pour forth its produce in great abundance. Our tillage
soils seem suitable for almost every kind of grain. Hitherto the chief crops
have been wheat, barley, and corn, which do remarkably well."

  To illustrate what is being done in farming, we cannot do better than to give
a description of Salt River Valley, selected from the same journal of date
April, 1881:

  This magnificent tract of as productive agricultural land as can be found in
the world, is located in Maricopa County, in the central portion of the
Territory, and contains somewhere about 250,000 acres of the richest kind of
alluvial soil, and of great depth, which yields most abundantly and regularly,
almost any kind of crops, more particularly of wheat, barley, corn and alfalfa;
while sugar-cane, cotton and rice can also be very easily and profitably raised.
Every kind of fruit grows readily, of fine flavor and luscious in quality. The
abundant supply of water, easily carried through a great portion of the valley,
by a system of ditches, from Salt River, always insures large returns to the
farmer on either side of the river. On the north side, the Grand Canal is
nineteen miles in length, the Maricopa sixteen, the Salt River thirteen, the
Griffin six, the Farmer's eight and the Monterey four; total, sixty-six miles.
On the south side, the Mesa Canal is fifteen miles, the Utah eight, the Tempe
fifteen, the San Francisco ten, the Prescott six; total fifty-four—making in all
one hundred miles of main arteries which are tapped on their course by
innumerable smaller ones. Doubtless this system has proved most advantageous to
the farmer, as without the water, the lands would be virtually worthless. But
with all due deference to the owners of the various canals, a consolidation of
interests, whereby the whole would be under one great company, or organization,
would likely prove more advantageous than the present methods to the country at
large. The present system could be greatly improved upon, much expenditure
saved, more land irrigated and utilized at less expense to the owners, and in
the long run, better returns realized by the company of stockholders. Thousands
of acres now lying waste and unused, could be made to yield as largely as those
now under cultivation. The soil is so rich and of such great depth and strength
as not to require fertilizing. The Indians have tilled and cropped some portions
of these same lands year after year, for some three hundred years, and still
they yield as good crops as could well be expected even from soil in a virgin
state.

  "Cost of the various canals of this valley, and the approximate number of
acres irrigated by each this year:

Grand Canal, 3,500 acres                               $38,000
Maricopa Canal, 2,500 acres                             25,000
Salt River Valley Canal, 2,500 acres                    30,000
Griffin Canal, 400 acres                                15,000
Farmers' Canal, 800 acres                               35,000
Monterey Canal, 400 acres                               10,000

  "The above are on the north side of the Salt River, and the following on the
south side:

Mesa Canal, 800 acres                                  $10,000
Utah Ditch, 500 acres                                    5,000
Tempe Canal, 2,800 acres                                25,000
San Francisco Ditch, 500 acres                          10,000
Prescott Ditch, 300 acres                                8,000
Maddux Ditch, 100 acres                                  5,000

Totals—15,100 acres                                   $216,000

  "A fair average of the wheat crop is 1,100 to 1,300 pounds per acre, and of
barley, 1,400 to 1,600 pounds per acre.

  W. Isaac & Sons, who have 1,150 acres in grain, all in a body, have had some
remarkable yields. They first put in 200 acres four years ago, and have kept on
increasing each year. Their average yield has been 2,000 pounds of barley per
acre for four years; but on fourteen acres the average was 2,800 pounds per acre
the first year, and on twelve acres, 2,830 pounds of wheat per acre were
produced. They experimented by planting four acres with eight pounds of wheat,
ridged 2x2 feet, which yielded 2,300 pounds to the acre."

  The valley of the Gila, extending entirely across the Territory, from a few
rods to ten miles in width, affords an immense quantity of land which can be
irrigated and cultivated. The remains of old irrigating canals prove that the
valley has been used by a populous race for agricultural purposes. From Gila
Bend to the Colorado River it is estimated that there are 500,000 acres suitable
for cultivation that could be irrigated by the Gila. The valley about Florence
is equal in quality to the Salt River Valley. Some fine farms and orchards are
found in this neighborhood, All the ordinary grains and fruits grow luxuriantly.
From Camp Thomas to the boundary of New Mexico there are a number of tributary
valleys to the Gila, such as Pueblo Viejo, Ash Creek, etc., which are said to
contain at least 100,000 acres that can be irrigated and farmed. The valley of
the San Pedro affords a large amount of good farming land, and water enough,
perhaps, if judiciously collected and used, to irrigate a large portion of it,
as the rainfall in this valley averages from 8 to 10 inches, and irrigation once
in two weeks is found sufficient. At Tres Alamos is an orchard in which apples,
figs, grapes, apricots, and peaches grow luxuriantly. Below this point are
several ranches where good crops of wheat and barley are raised.

  The slopes and mesa land on both sides are covered with nutritious grasses
most of the year, which renders it desirable for grazing purposes. Between the
Galiuro Mountains and San Simon Valley is Hooker's large grazing ranch, where he
keeps 5,000 head of cattle and 500 horses. San Simon Valley and the Peloncillo
Mountains bounding it on the northeast, afford thousands of acres of good
grazing lands. There are no running streams in this vicinity, but water is
abundant near the surface, and in some places gives the appearance of wet lands.
The Sulphur Spring Valley, lying between the Chiricahua and Dragoon mountains,
derives its moisture from mountain brooks which empty into it. It is a long,
wide valley, and covered with grass. The foot-hills on each side are also
covered with a luxuriant growth, which makes this one of the finest cattle
ranges in Arizona. What is said of these two ranges applies to most of the
mountain ranges in Southern Arizona. They have more or less water, always
sufficient for herds; their foot-hills and slopes are covered with nutritious
grass, and the climate is so mild that there is no danger from exposure at any
time of the year. The Sonoita and Babacomori are small valleys, with living
streams running through them, which will afford some fine farms and orchards.
The Santa Cruz affords considerable tillable land, and a large amount of good
grazing land. Some parts of this valley have been cultivated an indefinite
length of -time, and without any manuring shows no deterioration in its
productiveness. The valley of the Little Colorado furnishes some 300,000 acres
of land capable of cultivation. The Mormons from Salt Lake have commenced
several settlements, here. The valley of the Verde, though narrow, affords some
excellent land, and abundance of water for its irrigation. It extends from Salt
River northerly into Yavapai County, and in that portion of it there is
considerable land under cultivation. Skull, Agua Fria, Date Creek, Peeples,
Kirkland, Walnut Grove, Hassayampa, Williams Fork, Big Sandy, Big and Little
Chino, Round, and Aubrey, are all valleys of from one to five miles in width and
several miles in length, which afford good farming land and water for
irrigation. All through the mounts ains are innumerable small valleys, from
fifty to several hundred acres in extent, which afford good farming and orchard
land, while the slopes and mesas around them are excellent ranges for cattle and
sheep. In the Upper Tonto Basin and Mogollon Mountains are many such valleys.

  The region of the San Francisco mountains in Yavapai County is thus described
by Lieut. Beale:

  "It is the most beautiful region I ever remember to have seen in any part of
the world. A vast forest of gigantic pines, intersected frequently by extensive
open glades, sprinkled all over with mountain meadows and wide savannahs, filled
with the richest grasses was traversed by our party for many successive days."

  Dr. Parry, also of the United States Exploring Expedition, says of this region:

  "We have in these elevated districts a climate favoring a growth of trees, a
more equable distribution of rain and dew throughout the year, especially
adapted to the production of nutritious grasses, and the cultivation of grain
without resorting to the expensive processes of irrigation. These desirable
climatic features are especially noticeable along the elevated slopes of the San
Francisco mountains, where magnificent pine slopes are agreeably interspersed
with beautiful grassy valleys and parks, numerous springs and delightfully
invigorating atmosphere." The White Mountains in the southern part of Apache
County are thus described by Dr. Rothrock:

  "Arizona is, emphatically, a land of contrasts in scenery; its tropical
climate either ]3arching the soil and vegetation or under a fair supply of water
causing the flora to deck the surface with a luxuriant covering of verdure.
Nowhere is this statement more strikingly true than in the Sierra Blanca and the
adjoining plains south. On the latter the ensemble of the vegetation is dwarfed
and hardened from the aridity of the soil and rapidity of evaporation. In the
mountains, however, dense forests alternate with well watered glades, covered
with a luxuriant growth of grass and flowers. Between the ranges are well
watered valleys, producing grass-enough for all the herds of the territory."

  When the extent of our mountain territory is considered, it will be seen that
the number of these small mountain valleys reach thousands, and that their
agricultural and pastoral resources in the agregate perhaps surpass the
resources of the large valleys.

MINERALS.

  The Territory of Arizona is pre-eminently mineral in its natural resources. No
doubt it has sufficient arable lands to furnish a large population with all the
grain, fruit, meat and dairy products required, and farmers will find these
productions profitable, because a ready market will be at their door. Many
articles will, no doubt, be manufactured profitably for Home consumption, as our
population increases; still, we do not claim that Arizona is either a
manufacturing or agricultural Territory. With the exception of cattle and sheep
raising, the conditions for successful farming on a large scale do not exist. In
all countries, mining is an attractive industry, and in a new country, like
this, where the land is open to all, where the prospector's pick may at any blow
disclose the rich silver vein, and where so many have found fortunes, all other
pursuits are sure to become secondary. The mineral region is not confined to a
few localities, as in Colorado, or to a narrow belt of a few miles in extent,
like the famous Corn-stock of Nevada, but on the contrary, it embraces the
entire Territory, 325 miles square. Nowhere else in the world, has there been
found so many veins of silver. Every range of mountains, and in some sections
every ridge and hill discloses these veins. They have been found from the
Mexican boundary to a point north of Prescott, a distance of 250 miles, and from
the Colorado to the boundary of New Mexico. No limit can be given of their
extent, and a catalogue of their locations would be a large volume of more than
100,000 records.

  The term mineral includes all the inorganic substances which are taken from
the earth, such as clay for brick, granite and marble for building purposes,
etc., but we shall refer only, with the exception of salt and coal, to the
metalliferous veins.

  The silver mines of Arizona were discovered and worked more than a hundred
years ago, while Mexico, including our Territory, belonged to Spain. Excavations
have been found which appear to have been made at even an earlier date, and have
been attributed to the Aztecs, and its not improbable that a part of the
glittering mass of gold, silver and turquoise which excited the cupidity of
Cortez and his followers, was collected in Arizona. Old Mexican traditions
locate Arizuma, an Aztec name, signifying land of silver, in the valley of the
Santa Cruz. Wonderful stories were told of the amount of gold and silver to be
seen in the seven cities of Cibola, and expeditions were sent by the Viceroy of
Mexico to find and seize the coveted treasure. Nothing was accomplished by these
expeditions but the partial destruction of a peaceful, native race, who had made
considerable progress in civilization. Afterwards, that order, whose piety and
zeal have furnished throughout the New World, so many pioneers, the Jesuits
began founding missions in this unknown land. Through one of these missions,
located near the Santa Rita Mountains, the discovery of rich silver mines was
made. A Yaqui Indian is said to have made the discovery in 1769. On, and
immediately below the surface of the ground, pure silver in large pieces was
found, many of which weighed twenty-five and fifty lbs., several 508 lbs., and
one mass is particularly spoken of, which gave 3 500 lbs. after being fused, and
divided on the spot where it was discovered in order to remove it. A large
population was immediately attracted to these mountains by this discovery, and
the valley of the Santa Cruz became the center of active mining operations. The
town of Tubac was probably the largest mining village. Within a circuit of
fifteen miles around this town, one hundred and fifty silver mines were more or
less worked. Other rich districts were found in this range of mountains, and
worked at great profit, large quantities of silver being taken out and carried
into the towns of Sonora. Seven years after the first discovery, the king of
Spain, who had seized considerable of the treasure first taken out, decided that
all the silver pertained to the private patrimony of the crown, and that the
mines in future should be worked for his special profit. This decree did much to
discourage mining, although considerable was carried on more or less secretly by
the Jesuits, but often entirely interrupted by the hostility of the Indians.
When the revolution in Mexico occurred, these missionaries were banished, and
their property confiscated, then mining entirely ceased, and now, even the exact
location of such mines as the Tumacacori, Salero, and Plancha de la Plata, the
richness of which is a matter of record, is unknown. Recent prospectors claim to
have rediscovered them; whether or not they have done so, it is certain that
their search has been rewarded by new discoveries, which, in importance, may
exceed those of old.

  In 1857, this Territory having been purchased by the United States, the
Americans turned their attention to this rich silver district, and commenced
work on several mines. During the next four years, many new mines were located.
The rebellion caused a total cessation of work, and very little attention was
paid to the mines in this section till 1875, when the discovery of wonderfully
rich districts in the Pinal and Apache ranges of mountains, north of the Gila
River, gave a new impetus to mining throughout the Territory. These discoveries
were followed in 1877 by what appears to be a still more important one in the
southeastern part of our Territory, that of the Tombstone mines, which have
already given evidence of being among the richest in the world.

  The developments already made leave no doubt as to the permanency of the mines
of Arizona. Innumerable ledges have been found containing rich ore near the
surface, but in many cases as depth is attained the ores grow richer. The veins
dive into the earth at all angles of inclination, giving us vertical lodes and
blanket lodes, as they do in other countries. They pinch into narrow seams, give
out, come in again, swell into large masses, the same as mineral veins all over
the world. Every known variety of silver ore is found divided into the two
classes, in reference to reduction, of milling ore and smelting ore, and these
two classes are found in the same kind of formation with the same general
differences as are recognized in other sections. The word fissure in its
application to mineral veins is founded on a theory in regard to their formation
by no means generally accepted, and we think the tendency is to reject the
theory and retain the word only as descriptive of a large and permanent vein.
Still using it in its old sense, all the important mines here give, so far as
they have been developed, the same evidence of being true fissure veins as the
mines of Nevada and Mexico. No known case of giving out has yet occurred, though
several mines which have paid from the surface have reached a depth of 600 feet.
The large amount of float ore found here might be cited as an evidence of the
permanence of the veins, indicating not only the length of time which nature has
been tearing them down, but also the great period during which circumstances
were favorable for their formation. Those who believe that mineral veins are the
result of infiltration or segregation from, or near the surface, will be likely
to consider the depth to which such veins might reach in a country which has
been drained to so great a depth. Wherever a number of veins giving good promise
have been found within a neighborhood of a few miles, the section has been
formed into a mining district. These districts are of all sizes, containing from
25 to 2,000 square miles. Over eighty have been formed, and additions are
constantly being made. They contain from 100 to 3,000 locations each. Every
location indicates the appearance of ore in greater or less quantities, and we
may thus obtain an idea of the vast extent of country which is permeated by
mineral veins in this Territory.

   Gold.—Gold placers are found throughout every portion of the Territory. They
have been worked by Mexicans for many years past, and a considerable number are
still engaged in this branch of mining. The scarcity of water in many localities
renders the washing of the earth on a large scale impossible, most of the work
being done by individual effort, or two persons working together. A small shaft
is sunk a few feet in depth to the bed rock, which is scraped, the earth sacked
and carried to the nearest spring or stream and there washed. In this rude way
considerable gold in the aggregate is taken from the placers every year. They
yield from $1.50 to $3.00 per day, but occasionally a very rich spot is found
and a much larger amount taken out. There are several sections where water might
be introduced by canals, as on the placers of the San Francisco and in the
Horseshoe Basin south of the Gila, and in others water might be collected in
reservoirs made by damming gulches or small streams, and sufficient obtained to
wash the earth in paying quantities. The Santa Rita Mountains contain many
gulches and small valleys where gold is found in paying quantities. Horseshoe
Basin, now organized into a district called Gold Mountain, lying in the central
part of Pima County, includes many thousand acres of surface diggings. In 1862
placers were discovered near La Paz, a short distance east of the Colorado
River, which have been more or less worked ever since. It is estimated that they
yielded a million of dollars the first two years. Several of the mining
districts around Prescott were first located on account of their placers, and
some are still being worked, giving employment to quite a number of men. The
Weaver District in the southern part of Yavapai County has a large area of
placer diggings, where mining is now carried on.

  Surface diggings are also found in the Bradshaw Basin, Tonto Basin, White Tank
Mountains, and in many of the ravines and gulches on the northern slope of the
Salt River Valley. In Graham County on the San Francisco River is a large scope
of country containing rich placers, and recently very rich deposits have been
found in Maricopa County, near Seymour. When the extent of territory is
considered which the above enumeration indicates, it will be seen that our
placers must for a long time to come afford an important resource of gold
production.

  The more permanent resource of gold will undoubtedly be gold quartz. These
veins, like the silver veins, have been found in nearly every part of the
Territory, the only limit so far being the limit of exploration. A large
proportion of the mines of Yavapai, Pima, and Graham counties are worked
exclusively for gold, while all the silver veins carry a greater or less per
centage of this royal metal.

  Copper.—Copper ores are found in all parts of the Territory in quantities
unequaled by any other portion of the United States. Perhaps nowhere else in the
world has such immense ledges of high grade ores been found. They are of that
class which is easily reduced by smelting, consisting of red oxides, gray
carbonates and copper glance. The red oxides frequently carry pure copper, of
which many large masses have been found. The ores carry so little gangue that
only a small amount of labor is required in dressing them for the furnace, which
is no inconsiderable consideration in their economical reduction.

  The Copper Queen in Warren District, near the town of Bisbee, has a ledge of
over a hundred feet in width, all fine ore, yielding from twenty to sixty per
cent, of copper. A thirty-ton furnace at this mine yields seven tons of pure
copper per day, and the quality of the metal is equal to that of the well known
Lake Superior copper. Six men have taken out of the mine and dressed ready for
the furnace ten tons of ore in a day. The smelting is done with English coke,
and yet we are told the profit is eight cents per pound on the copper.

  In the Santa Rita Mountains is another copper region now being explored, in
which the ledges are said to be of immense size and equal in quality of ore to
those of Bisbee.

  In the northeastern part of Pima County, in the Silver Bell District, some
very rich and extensive copper ledges have been discovered, and smelting works
erected. In the western part of this county is another copper district, in the
center of which are the noted Ajo mines, which were discovered and worked
several years since. In the northern part of Yuma County is a large region
between the Granite Wash Mountains and Bill Williams Fork which affords copper
ores. The Planet mines, situated in the northern part of this district, have
yielded about 8,000 tons of copper. In Gila County, near the town of Globe, are
situated the mines of the Old Dominion Company, which are remarkably rich. Other
mines in this vicinity have large quantities of paying ore. Four smelting
furnaces are in operation here On Cave Creek, in the eastern slope of the Verde
Mountains, is another copper district, in which there is an immense ledge said
to average thirty-four per cent. East of Agua Fria Valley, Yavapai County, at
the foot of the Black Hills, is an unexplored region of copper which promises to
equal anything yet found in the Territory. It is said that hundreds of tons of
good float ore may readily be gathered from the surface of the ground. At
Riverside, Pinal County, smelters have been erected by the Pinal Copper Mining
Company for the reduction of ores taken from their mines about six miles distant.

  The Clifton copper district, in the eastern part of Graham County, near the
Rio San Francisco, has long been known. The copper developments here are truly
wonderful; ledges from 30 to 100 feet in width crop out of the ground for
thousands of feet in length, and where they are cut by the canon to the depth of
a thousand feet, the same quality and quantity of ore is exhibited. The ores are
red oxide, gray and green carbonates, and copper glance. Smelting furnaces have
been erected at the town of Clifton, and are now running on these ores. It will
be readily observed from this condensed sketch of the copper regions that this
metal is to become one of the large resources of the Territory.

  Coal.—Coal has recently been discovered in the eastern part of Pinal County,
on Deer Creek. The vein, where prospected, is ten feet thick, and croppings have
been traced several miles, giving evidence of a large coal field. The quality is
said to be good. This discovery is regarded as most important, as it gives
assurance of cheaper fuel for the smelting furnaces. Some three years ago coal
was discovered in the Aravaipa Canon, and it is quite probable that the Deer
Creek coal field is extensive, going as far south as this point. Coal is known
to be in various parts of Yavapai and Apache Counties. Near Fort Defiance, a
vein is reported nine feet in thickness; twenty miles west of the Moqui
villages, two veins, one above the other, crop out in a canon, one eight feet,
and the other four feet in thickness. A short distance from these, another vein
is reported twenty-five feet in thickness. Immediately at the Oraybe, a large
vein crops from the misa. The United States Exploring Expedition also reports
coal in Mesa La Vaca and in the White Mountains near Fort Apache. These reports
are considered reliable, and show the appearance of coal over a large extent of
territory, and renders it altogether probable that when the northern portion of
the territory shall become accessible a vast quantity of this mineral will be
found.

  Lead.—Probably no other two metals enter as extensively into economical uses
as lead and iron. The uses about the homestead, and in all mechanical
constructions and in the arts, are so manifold and continuous, that the quantity
required to supply the demand is almost beyond computation. These, with copper
and tin, may be called the industrial metals. While gold and silver are valuable
accessories in the arts and necessities, for currency, as well as for ornamental
purposes, these metals are the sinews of all mechanical agencies—the
indispensables. In social economy, they represent the laborers and producers,
while gold and silver represent the capitalists. Without lead and iron, the
world would retreat to the age of wood and stone. These economical metals are
the real precious metals, growing more precious the greater their quantity and
the lower their price. Indeed much of their value depends upon their abundance
and cheapness, as general use requires both conditions, and also insures a
market at remunerative prices. Demand may sometimes fall behind supply, and the
article falls in price, this renders its application to many new uses,
profitable. Fluctuations in demand and supply, as we have lately experienced in
silver and copper, are likely to occur with any metal to an extent that will
render for a short time, their production unprofitable; such a period in the
economical metals is inevitably short, as the old demand goes steadily on and
new ones are created, while the supply decreases. The price then rises or the
means of production is cheapened, and in either case the industry prospers. A
country which possesses large deposits of these industrial metals, has a
resource which lasts a long time, and gives employment to a large population.
But a year or two ago our copper mines received but little attention,
notwithstanding their richness was known. The price of copper and the expense of
freight rendered its production unprofitable. Now we begin to see that the
production of copper is to become immediately one of our chief resources. No
doubt a considerable time will elapse before we shall turn our attention to the
manufacture of iron, the ore of which is abundant in many places in our
Territory, and yet not in such quantities as to attract attention, or offer
superior or equal inducements over other sections of the Union east of us, where
labor, transportation and capital are cheaper. But in regard to lead, we see no
reason why its production, like copper, may not become, within a short time, an
important industrial resource. The immense quantities which have been mined, in
connection with silver, in Colorado, Utah and Nevada, have temporarily affected
the market, and rendered lead mining unprofitable, but with a metal, the use of
which is rapidly increasing, the demand will, in a short time, catch up with the
production, and mining in it again become profitable, especially here, where it
can be produced so cheaply on account of the unlimited quantity of good ore, and
its production being made in most cases, incidental to the mining of silver.
With lower rates of transportation, it would immediately become an element of
calculation in many of our silver mines. Our smelting ores of silver are found
in greater or less quantities in all the silver districts, and must afford large
quantities of lead. Besides these, there are in many districts, immense ledges
of silver smelting ores, of two low a grade for present work, which will become
available when the production of lead shall also become an object. In the
northeastern part of Castle Dome District, in Yuma County, there are immense
ledges of lead ore, carrying a small amount of silver. These ledges are also
found northward, in the Plomosa Mountains, and in the Cedar District of Mohave
County, as well as in many other portions of our Territory.

  Iron.—No attention has been given to iron ores, for the reason that some time
must elapse, and changes take place, in and around our Territory, before the
production of iron can be made profitable. Good ore has been noted, however, in
many sections, especially in the Chiricahua Mountains in the south, and in Cave
Creek District Maricopa County, where large bodies of hematite ore are found.
Good ore is also mentioned in the White Mountains in Southern Apache, and in the
District of the Rio San Francisco.

   Tin.—Small quantities of wood-tin, one of the best ores of this valuable
metal, have been found in various localities on this coast. In Northern Mexico
considerable float ore has been found of a kind generally termed stream-tin,
from being found in the gravel beds of water streams. Some years ago the writer
was shown a couple of handfuls of these nodules of stream-tin, which were said
to have been found in Arizona. There is reason to believe that tin would be
found here if prospectors were acquainted with the ore. Stream-tin is likely to
be found in gold-washing; but unless the attention of the miner is directed to
it, the ore would be thrown aside with the other debris. It is found in small
nodules from the size of a pea to the size of a man's fist, or larger. It is
generally of a brown color, although all shades from gray to black are found. It
has a smooth, hard surface, and feels like metal. On breaking one of these
nodules it is likely to be found softer inside, and show concentric layers, like
an agate. On account of its weight it will be found on the bottom of the sluice
or gold pan. Wood-tin in the ledge or bowlder is frequently of a grayish color,
with streaks of lead color and brown, and is not unfrequently mixed with little
nodules of red. It often resembles sandstone, but its weight shows at once that
it is metalliferous. The test is simple: Crush a small quantity of the suspected
ore to a powder, mix with it cyanide of potassium, then cut a "hollow in a piece
of charcoal, put the substance in, turn the flame of a blow-pipe on to it, and
if it is tin ore you will get small beads of pure tin.

  Salt.—Salt is found in springs and beds in the northern part of Mohave County,
where there appears to be an extensive salt range running northward into Nevada.
Salt springs and considerable deposits of salt are found on the Black River near
the mouth of Canon Creek, in Maricopa County, and on a branch of the San Carlos,
called Salt Creek.

  Limestone is found in various portions of the Territory, and especial mention
has been made of it in the Chiricahua, Dragoon, and White Mountains, and also in
Cave Creek District, in the northern part of Maricopa County. Large quantities
of limestone and marble are also to be found in several localities on the
Colorado River. Marble Canon, on the Colorado, in Yavapai County, is a gorge
2,500 feet in depth, which the river has worn down through a bed of marble
several miles in length, and of every shade and quality. Gypsum is found in the
Whetstone Mountains in Cachise County, on the San Pedro, and also near Sunset
Crossing on the Little Colorado.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

RIZONA BUSINESS DIRECTORY AND GAZETTEER;
CONTAINING THE
Names and Post-Office Addresses of all Merchants, Manufacturers and Professional
Men in the Territory of Arizona;

TERRITORIAL, COUNTY, CITY AND TOWN OFFICERS.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE DIFFERENT MINING DISTRICTS AND THE NAMES OF MINING
SUPERINTENDENTS.

ALSO, A GAZETTEER OF THE COUNTIES, CITIES AND TOWNS,
Giving a full exhibit of their Mineral, Agricultural and Manufacturing Resources.

WITH AN APPENDIX,

CONTAINING THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF WHOLESALE MERCHANTS AND MANUFACTURERS IN
THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO.

W. C. DISTURNELL,
COMPILER AND PUBLISHER,
534 California Street, San Francisco, Cal.
BACON & COMPANY, PRINTERS.
l88l.


Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881,
By W. C. DISTURNELL,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.


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